Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from Reading "Saga"

[Joker]

I think it's supposed to be fun, and fun for them to write and draw.

[The Martian]

[QUOTE=Joker;1284192]I made a snarky post, and I apologize.

I don't think that's allowed on the internet.

[AngryAtheist]

I made a snarky post, and I apologize.

My point about artistic intent is simply that, maybe BKV set out to make a kind of trashy, shock value-y comic. If he did, and he's a writer that I think knows what he's doing, then he's succeeding at his artistic intent. It's like saying a painting is ugly, but if the artist set out to make an ugly painting, then it's a successful piece of art because it met it's intent. You don't have to like the end result, but taste doesn't dictate the successfulness of a piece of art. Neither does it being goofy, or immature, or sex filled or shocking, if that's what was intended.

So criticizing Saga for being what it perhaps was always intended to be, and suggesting that it should change to suit your interests, that's incorrect. If you don't like Saga for what it is, that's fine, but that's not Saga's fault.

I get what you're saying, but that's not my problem with Saga. Sure it may be terrible with the intention of being terrible but then you've got brain dead idiots who see past that and think there's some "bigger message" in it that really isn't there. There are no life lessons to be learned from Saga. It's just a book that's telling a story about a family traveling the galaxy with their daughter. Sure it's filled with "colorful" characters, but none of them are interesting IMO. They're all just obscene, unlikable characters. I haven't read many issues of it but from what I've read, it's pretty average and no where near as good as people say it is. It's only claim to fame is its writer Brian K Vaughn (who's work I'm not a fan of) and its artist Fiona Staples (who, admittingly is a very talented artist but isn't as good as everyone says she is). So to those who like Saga, it's alright to enjoy what you're reading but don't take it so goddamn seriously

[InformationGeek]

When reading Saga I never once thought to myself that BKV and Fiona wants us to take it all that seriously to be honest. I actually get the opposite impression, for us to have a laugh at how ridiculous it is. I mean the latest arc has our heroes on a quest for dragon sperm after all. I get a chuckle every time there's some gross out moment in Saga just because I know there's someone out there who will be outraged over it, I think BKV feeds on that. Probably the most idiotic thing I've ever heard was when there were a few stores that threatened to boycott the Saga hardcover because of the breastfeeding cover. To me BKV and Fiona are just shoving it into their faces and having a laugh over it.

I could laugh at this, but I do feel Vaughan is trying to be serious with a lot of this. I mean Prince Robot was dealing with PTSD after coming back from the war, the serious psychological issues implied with Marko recently, Dengo's whole situation about the travesty of war affecting him and the loss of his kid, the flowery narration, the cyclops writer's backstory with his son, hell any of the themes related to war and loss going on in this comic...

If the writer is trying to make us laugh, it's failing for me horribly. These two tones of ridiculousness and seriousness just don't work, making it seem like the comic is suffering from an identity crisis about what is wants to be. I'm not trying to take this comic away from you, but for the life of me, this comic just doesn't work a lot of the time.

Also, I never feel outraged by anything BKV does in this comic. I just roll my eyes and wonder if the page I'm looking at could have been better used for something else other than shock value (which, you got admit, is a bit tired at this point). I've been on the Internet long enough that I'm too jaded and unimpressed with anyone attempting to do something shocking these days unless it offends me (looking at you Bomb Queen and The Unfunnies. Rape is not funny like you think it is for some reason).

[Joker]

Saga seems to work for a lot of people. I definitely understand what you're saying, but I don't have those problems with it. I think you can be serious and funny all at once and I think Saga does it rather well usually.

[InformationGeek]

Saga seems to work for a lot of people. I definitely understand what you're saying, but I don't have those problems with it. I think you can be serious and funny all at once and I think Saga does it rather well usually.

Oh I definitely know you can be serious and funny at the same time. I mean, I love Chew and Assassination Classroom after all (AC is a very screwed up, but delightfully insane series about kids having to assassinate their teacher before he destroys the world by the end of the school year). I think why this one doesn't work for me is because it deals with more serious issues and themes that are pretty real and heavy stuff, whereas as the other series never get that heavy, deep, or even that f**ked up.

[Groo Odyssey]

BKV originally pitched Saga as "Star Wars for perverts" which is exactly what he's giving us. With a tagline like that I never once took the title all that seriously. It's just a fun little guilty pleasure series for me but I do understand your point. Although the explicit scenes don't bother me the least bit, I do feel he doesn't need to put it in every issue. It's the same way I feel about Game of Thrones, I like the series and don't feel the need to have someone disrobe every single episode (did I just compare Saga to Game of Thrones? hehe )

Anyhoo BKV is coming to my LCS for a book signing for his upcoming We Stand on Guard, I'd love to talk to him about Saga but I'm not sure I'll bring it up as he's there to promote his new series. I'd love to point him to this and the Saga Appreciation thread hehe I bet he'll get a kick out of it.